Flag Bet Explained

A Flag Bet is a system wager with four selections, which is usually used in horse racing and football betting. We’ll explain in simple terms what it consists of and how it works so you can quickly calculate and place such a stake.

What is a Flag Bet?

This is a wager that includes 23 separate stakes from four different selections. Flag bets are most popular in horse racing. You choose four horses, and even if only two of them win, you can still collect money. The table below shows how this system compares to similar betting strategies.

This type of bet is for pro punters, those who are good at maths or those who like to experiment. However, it requires a larger stake: a £1 bet on each selection in Flag Bet costs a total of £23. The good news is that most online bookmakers simplify the process, allowing you to place all 23 bets with a single click.

Let’s take a quick look at all the options included in the Flag Bet:

• 1 Four-fold accumulator*
• 4 Trebles*
• 6 Doubles*
• 6 Up-and-down singles* (12 stakes)

If you’re not familiar with the terms marked with an asterisk (*), you can find an explanation of them in the Key Terms section at the bottom of this article.

It’s essentially a Yankee bet* with six up-and-down wagers added to it. This structure means you could potentially see returns even if only a few of your selections win.

You can only place a Flag Bet on selections in different events. For example, you can’t back two horses in the same race.

Let’s look at what each part of this bet means with a practical example.

Example of Flag Bet

Let’s say we decided to place a Flag Bet on four horses winning four different races at Newcastle:

• Penzance
• Advertorial
• Psychodrama
• Showering

You’ll see below all 23 wagers placed on these horses as part of the Flag Bet.

1 Four-fold accumulator

Here, we place a combo bet* that includes all four selections. All must win for the accumulator to succeed:

• Penzance, Advertorial, Psychodrama, Showering, all for the win.

4 Trebles

Each treble is an accumulator with 3 out of the 4 picks:

• Penzance, Advertorial, and Psychodrama to win.
• Penzance, Advertorial, and Showering to succeed.
• Penzance, Psychodrama, and Showering to triumph.
• Advertorial, Psychodrama, and Showering to win.

6 Doubles

Each double combines 2 horses at a time. There are 6 possible combinations:

• Penzance and Advertorial to win.
• Penzance and Psychodrama to succeed.
• Penzance and Showering to win.
• Advertorial and Psychodrama to win.
• Advertorial and Showering to be a winner.
• Psychodrama and Showering to win.

6 Up-and-down singles

This is a conditional bet that creates six combinations, with two horses involved at a time:

• Penzance and Advertorial.
• Penzance and Psychodrama.
• Penzance and Showering.
• Advertorial and Psychodrama.
• Advertorial and Showering.
• Psychodrama and Showering.

Note that each such combination consists of two parts, with the second part only being funded if the first part wins. Let’s look at Penzance and Advertorial as an example:

• Part 1: You wager £10 on Penzance. If it wins, then a £10 stake is placed on Advertorial.
• Part 2: You bet £10 on Advertorial. If successful, wager £10 on Penzance.

How to Place a Flag Bet

It is quite straightforward to place such a stake. The best bookmakers offer a feature that automatically compiles combinations for you. We have prepared a step-by-step guide on how to place such stake using horse racing betting at Betfred as an example:

1. Go to the section of the sport you want to bet on.
   
   
2. Make 4 picks in 4 different events and add them to your bet slip.
   
   
3. In the bet slip, go to multiples and select the Flag Bet option.
   
   
4. Set the amount and place the stake.*
   
   

* Note that the amount of your stake is multiplied by 23. This means that if you wager £1 on the Flag Bet, you will bet a total of £23.

Flag Bet Calculator

A Flag Bet calculator is a handy tool that makes calculating returns for this bet type easy. To use it, input the outcomes (e.g., ‘win’ or ‘lost’) and the odds for each of your four selections. The calculator then updates the summary automatically, showing your total stake and winnings, if there are any. You can also choose additional options for horse racing, such as ‘Each Way’, if you bet on a horse to either win or finish in a place position.

These tools, often available online, save time and reduce errors compared to manual calculations. Such calculators can also help you understand how these stakes work, as you can explore different scenarios without placing cash.

Best Markets for Flag Bets

These wagers are especially popular in horse racing and greyhound racing. These competitions often have several events in one day, allowing you to choose four races and spread their risk across different combinations. The flexibility of Flag Bets works well in these fast-paced markets, especially when you’re aiming for a mix of favourites and higher-odds selections. Each Way option is another useful feature because you can still get a return even if your selection places instead of winning.

These stakes are also a great way to bet on football. You can use them for 1×2 markets, over/under goals, and more. In general, you can use them on any sport, such as tennis or cricket. You can focus on a discipline you are good at, as you will have to choose the outcomes of four events.

Comparing Yankee, Lucky 15 & Flag Bets

These are all multiple bet types involving four selections but differ in structure and payout potential. All three include a mix of accumulators, trebles, and doubles. However, Lucky 15* includes single wagers on each selection, while Flag Bets add Up-and-Down Singles for extra coverage. These differences affect both the number of bets and the overall returns depending on the outcome of the selections.

Let’s look at how they perform using an example. Imagine we wager on four horses at 2/1 (3.00) odds. As each of these systems has a different number of stakes, we will calculate the amounts for each type as a whole to be approximately the same, but the amounts per bet will be different:

• Yankee: Total of £22.99 (11 stakes of £2.09)
• Lucky 15: Total of £22.95 (15 wagers of £1.53)
• Flag Bet: Total of £23 (23 bets of £1)

Below is a comparison of profits for different outcomes. We’ve rounded winnings to the nearest pound for convenience.

Flag Bets provide the most combinations, offering broader coverage, but their returns are generally lower compared to Yankees and Lucky 15s in high-win scenarios. The best part is that we get paid if two out of four are successful.

Flag Betting Strategy&Tips

These bets are a great way to boost your winnings while still getting a return, even if one or two of your picks don’t win. One simple tip is to focus on sports and markets you know well. You’ll need to make informed picks across four events, which can be tough if you’re unfamiliar with your chosen discipline.

We also suggest using Flag Bet online calculators. You can enter the actual odds from your chosen events to see what you could win in different scenarios and decide if the stake is worth it before betting real money.

Key Terms

Below, we break down the most important terms in simple words to help beginners get started.

• Accumulator, Combo Bet – A single stake combining multiple selections into one stake. For example, a four-fold accumulator is a combination of four picks. All must win to get a payout.
• Treble – A combo stake with three selections.
• Double – A combo bet with two selections.
• Up-and-Down Stake – It’s a type of betting where you place two wagers on two different selections. The second stake is only placed if the first wins.
• Yankee – A system wager with four selections, covering 11 bets: six doubles, four trebles, and one four-fold accumulator.
• Lucky 15 – A system bet with four selections, covering a total of 15 stakes: four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-fold accumulator.